


Such Great Heights

by grapeboy



Category: Men's Football RPF
Genre: Established Relationship, Fluff, Hiking, M/M, and a fear of heights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-01
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-20 06:04:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17616893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/grapeboy/pseuds/grapeboy
Summary: Dele and Eric are on holiday in New York, the city that never sleeps! But when Eric wins a coin toss for who gets to decide what to do for a day, they're going upstate to the sleepy Adirondack Mountains to hike to a fire tower. Even worse? Dele hasn't told Eric he's afraid of heights...





	Such Great Heights

**Author's Note:**

> \- hi i'm back with fluff and i'm bad at making summaries so thank you for making it here!  
> \- east coast US mountains don't get nearly as much credit for being beautiful as the west coast US ones do and that's the tea  
> \- also this 'afraid of heights' thing could've honestly gone both ways? i feel like its a bit cliché to write Eric as the protector but Dele's so fun to write annoyed and pouty so what can you do!

Dele was upset. Just because Eric won a fuckin’ coin toss shouldn’t mean that he had to drive five hours from New York City, literally one of the most happening places _in the world_ , to a middle of nowhere mountain to hike up. To add insult to injury, they left at 5 in the morning, _5 in the morning_! And Eric kept talking excitedly about the ‘fire tower with the beautiful views’. Yeah, that was a no from Dele. Rickety metal stairs and heights? _No, thank you!_ At least the car had seat warmers. That was the only good thing that had come out of this.

 

But even worse, Eric was happily humming along to a radio station he found called _Froggy 100.3_ which played “everything country”. Dele could tell by his gleeful grin and continued stolen glances, that Eric just did it to annoy him. But that didn’t stop Dele from sullenly staring out the window, as the whine of the singers drilled into his head.

 

“Can we…please listen to something else, Eric, I’m begging you!” He pleaded, tears almost coming to his eyes.

 

Eric laughed, “When in Rome, Delboy.” But he turned it down with a sympathetic smile. He put his hand on Dele’s thigh. “Cmon, babe, cheer up, now! I promise this is going to be worth it. We’re nearly there!”

 

Dele shook his head incredulously. _How could he be so happy at the hour we had to wake up._ He had to admit, his smile was infectious and he cursed himself for falling in love with a morning person. He just wanted to sleep until noon and the wander around the big Apple, just the two of them… If only he had picked heads instead of tails…they wouldn’t be in this predicament now. He hit his head against the dashboard in frustration.

 

Just then, they pulled up to a gravel parking lot at the foot of the trail to the summit. Eric turned off the car and looked at Dele. His eyes turned soft and he gave a small smile. “Up and at ‘em, let’s go!” He gave him a quick peck on the cheek before jumping out of the car. Dele rolled his eyes and forced himself to put on the hiking boots that had magically turned up at the foot of his bed this morning. When he had asked how they got there, Eric just raised his eyebrows mysteriously and dragged Dele out of the nice warmth of his bed. He yawned at the memory and slowly got out of the car.

 

The air was moist and the gentle chirps of birds and hum of insects filled the summer morning. Dele’s eye’s wandered around the scene. There were a few other cars parked and a small wooden structure that had some signs on it and a label which read _Blue Mtn, 2 mi_.

 

“Hey, Dier! How much is 2 miles?” Eric was adjusting the straps on his backpack.

 

He shrugged. “A little more than 3km? It’s not a bad hike, I don’t think.”

 

They started on the trail, Eric first and Dele following. “Augh the mud!” Dele’s face contorted in disgust, as he lifted his feet up with smacking sounds.

 

But Eric’s eyes twinkled, “You don’t like those shoes anyway, so its no loss.”

 

“Still, I like my dignity.” He replied, almost falling slipping on a wet smooth rock, and having to grab Eric’s arm in a panic.

 

Eric’s eyebrows furrowed. “Yeah, guess we have to be careful of that.” Dele glared at him and smoothing his clothes, walked on. They were in silence for the first bit, Dele glowering at the ground watchful of every step. He would _not_ be slipping today. The idea of having to walk with wet clothes in the cool humid forest sounded like absolute torture. But would Eric feel sorry for him and turn around? So he did not have to tell him he was scared to climb the fire tower? One look at the determined and content face of his boyfriend answered that question for Dele and he frowned. So he resolved to come up with some cool excuse before the top and in the meantime try to enjoy the scenery around him.

 

The rocks in the trail were huge and flat, unlike anything Dele had ever seen. Everything grew so green and lush. With the sound of the wildlife, it was like they were in some hyper reality. He kept stopping and looking at different plants he’d never seen. It wasn’t a wildly exotic place, but with his life as a football, leisurely hiking through another country’s nature was not usually part of the agenda so this was mostly a new experience for him.

 

He caught Eric smiling at him triumphantly when he was investigating at a large patch of moss. “Told ya you would like it, Delboy.”

 

Dele rolled his eyes and quickly got up. “Like is a strong word.” He also didn’t want to show Eric that he was right (as usual) especially after moaning about it all morning.

 

“I can see right through you,” he said sighing matter-of-factly. But when he turned around he lost his footing and fell into the mud. Dele completely lost it, laughing so hard. Through his tears, he could see Eric pouting at him, sitting helplessly on the ground.

 

“Oh I’m definitely enjoying it now,” He said, wiping his eyes and giving Eric a hand. Eric stood up but soon realized his shoe had become latched into the muck. He steadied himself on still wheezing Dele and yanked it out.

 

“Still enjoying it now, babe?” Dele said with a smile.

 

“Yes. It’s all part of the experience,” Eric replied with a forced smile. His eyes seemed to say _you’re not going to win this._

 

Dele giggled and put his hand on Eric’s back to help him on. “I’ll be here, if you want to come crying back to me about how bad you’re idea was.”

 

Eric shook his head. “No, Dele. You’re the one that’s going to be begging for an apology for all the moaning you’ve done after you see the view.” He strode on ahead, eager to get to the top. Dele’s smile disappeared. _Damnit Damnit Damnit. I don’t want to see a view!_

 

“Dier, slow down! If you get stuck again, I won’t help you up.” But Eric kept going. Dele sighed and tried to think of some good excuses. Maybe he could say his hamstring was acting up so stairs weren’t good? No, they had just hiked a mountain so no physical excuse worked. He could just say he was really tired and _you can go on without me, honey._ Maybe a kiss to seal it off? No, no, Eric would wait with him until he wasn’t tired. The problem was, Eric was convinced that he would suddenly enjoy the whole day _when_ he saw the view. _I can just act so happy and satisfied when I see the view from the top that I won’t need to go the extra height up the tower!_

 

He caught up with his speedy boyfriend by gingerly bounding on the drier of the rocks. Eric was stopped at a break in the trees that looked over the mountain side where there was a peep of the famous lake view that he had told Dele about.

 

“Oh, Del. This is already so gorgeous, the top is going to be spectacular.” He shook his head, beads of sweat getting on Dele.

 

“Gross, Dier,” Dele said, daintily attempting to wipe them off. Eric gave him a look and opened his mouth to say something but thought better of it. Instead he just winked and took Dele’s hand to lead them up.

 

Eric looked thoughtfully ahead as they continued walking further. “What do you think about the next season, Del?”

 

Dele shivered as the memories of the last few games came to him. The overtimes and the loss after loss that Tottenham suffered right after he came back from injury. How bad his lungs hurt, his eyes stung, and his heart aches. The blinding frustration and anger that led to mistake after mistake.

 

“I’m worried.”

 

“Wasn’t a nice way to end the season, hm.” He looked back at Dele with exhausted eyes, remembering the pain they had been through.

 

Dele nodded. “New signings might give us exactly what we need, though.” He added with weak optimism.

 

Eric nodded, “We can hope.” The continued in silence for a bit before finally breaking into a clearing. Eric looked back at Dele with an excited expression and started walking faster. “The fire tower, Dele, look!” There it was, the grey metal structure in all it’s glory. It looked even more rickety in person and the people walking very slowly down it did nothing to calm Dele’s nerves.

 

“Uhh Eric?” He asked, trying to steady his voice.

 

Eric walked back over to him. “What’s up Del?”

 

Dele looked around. There was a sliver of a view, which he promptly walked over to. “Wow, it’s beautiful!” His huge smile and awe in his voice only seemed to confuse Eric more.

 

“Yeah…but I think the real view is at the top of the tower.” His eyes narrowed and he studied Dele’s face, trying to read what was going on. Dele’s grin wavered. _Ok, time to really go all out._

 

“Uh this was really worth it, Eric, I’m sorry I ever—“

 

“No, Dele. What are you trying to hide? Do you not want to go up the fire tower or something? I don’t understand.” He ran his hands through his hair and his confused look was incredibly cute which made Dele feel even worse. _Why was Eric always cute at the worst moments?_

 

“No. I don’t.” Dele looked at the ground.

 

“Why?”

 

Dele mumbled it under his breath.

 

“What?” Eric said, walking closer to him.

 

“I’m scared it, ok Dier? Yeah, I’m a wimp, ok,” He snapped and then looked at the ground again. “Sorry you have a lame ass boyfriend,” he murmured.

 

“No, no, Del!” Eric wrapped his arms around him, allowing Dele to bury his head into his shoulder. “I just didn’t know you were scared of heights! Why didn’t you tell me before?”

 

“I didn’t want you to think I was a coward.” He mumbled.

 

Eric forced Dele to look at him. “I would never think that, Del. We all have irrational fears, it’s nothing to be ashamed of.” He cupped his hand around the side of Dele’s head. “What about when we went on the Empire State building? That’s pretty damn high up and you seemed to really enjoy it.”

 

Dele shrugged. “The building is stable. I knew we had no chance of falling off unless I tried to or something.” Eric looked confused. “I’m not super scared of heights, just…this kinda unstable stuff.” He gestured at the fire tower. Eric looked at the tower and then looked back at Dele.

 

“Well it’s always good to face your fears.” He said, grabbing Dele’s hand and starting to walk toward it.

 

“No, no, no, no, no, Diet.” He pouted. “I did not wake up at 5 AM for this.” He put on his best scared face which wasn’t hard because the very idea of setting a foot on the tower had him shaking in his boots.

 

Eric came over to him and put his arms around his waist. He whispered in his ear, “I got your back.” Then he gave Dele an encouraging smile and pleading eyes. “For me, Del? Just try?”

 

“Why can’t you go alone?” Dele asked in a small voice.

 

Eric sighed. “It wouldn’t be as fun without you, Del. Besides, I think you’ll find it worth it.” He grabbed Dele’s hands and squeezed them. _Ugh I can’t say no to those beautiful blue eyes, can I?_

 

He groaned and put his head down. “I hate you,” he said and led himself be led.

 

Eric smiled, “You love me.”

 

“Yeah, I do. That’s why I’m doing this even if I feel like I’m gonna piss myself.” He looked at Eric. “Does that make you feel better? That I love you so much I would piss myself for you?” He said, frowning.

 

Eric squeezed his hand. “It’s the sweetest thing you’ve ever said to me, Delboy.” They were at the foot of the stairs up and Dele’s heart was hammering so much that he’d thought it would jump out and flap about on the rusty metal step. He turned to Eric, his absolute terror broadcasted on his face. Then, Eric put his hands, one on his back and one on his shoulder. “I’m with you, Del. We’re going to do this together. Win or lose football matches. Up and down completely sturdy metal fire towers.” Dele’s breathing slowed and his anxiety seemed to lessen slightly.

 

“You or me first?” Eric asked. The thought of being first was scary but not having Eric behind him to catch him was worse so he took the first step. The sound of his foot on the metal vibrated the whole structure and Dele yelped softly. “That’s good, Del. That’s fine.” He took another step, leaning forward to put his hands on the steps higher up. Every molecule of his body was tense, waiting, careful, worried that one wrong move would send him tumbling to the ground below. He was hyperaware of every creak, every crack in the paint, every wet spot on the tower as he went up.

 

When he reached the first level, Eric hugged him. “You’re doing great, Del!” His words pulled Dele back down to earth and steadied him for the next flight. He refused to look down, refused to look at anything but the steps he had to go.

 

“Two out of five to go, Del!” Now a kiss on the cheek to move him forward. He felt his confidence increasing as he walked an almost normal pace up, barely leaning forward with fingers only grazing the steps in front.

 

“More than halfway there! You’re doing fantastic, babe.” Eric wrapped his arms around him and touched his lips to the crook of his neck. Dele felt a new enthusiasm push him through this ladder flight. He stepped normally up, ducking as he reached just below the floor of the lookout area. He took this opportunity to look out but felt his ankles weaken as he drifted back, back, back…

 

But he fell into Eric’s welcoming embrace. “I got you, Del. We’re almost there!” Dele started climbing up and tucked himself into the small open trap door that led to the viewing area. It seemed to be made out of very thin slabs of plywood. _Would it hold us? What if it doesn’t hold us?_

 

“Eric?” He called as he slipped back down to where he was standing. “I— I don’t know man. It’s pretty thin, I mean we’re athletes and—“ But Eric, being the romantic fool he was, shut Dele up with a kiss. And Dele, being complete smitten with the man leading him to his doom, felt a new surge of adrenaline rush through him. Maybe it was the fact that Eric said, “You know I would never lead you to harms way,” in a very low, comforting somewhat extremely attractive voice, that caused Dele to shoot up those stairs faster than any before. Before thinking, he hoisted himself up through into the lookout area and took a satisfied sigh, dusting his joggers off. Then he looked outside.

 

Everything, all the fear, adrenaline, even Eric’s kiss, went out of his head. The view was breathtaking, staggeringly beautiful. Ancient, old, mountains that shaped the landscape rose up all around him. The trees that seemed so large before looked like fluffy bits of green cotton dotting the mountain side. The puffy clouds cast shadows all around and the lake looked like someone painted a glittery silver blue in a crevice.

 

“Wow,” Dele breathed. Eric had lifted himself up and had somewhat of the same awe struck reaction. They wandered around the small room to get the 360 degree view of the scenery. When they finally made eye contact, they just smiled at a loss for words. Then Eric threw his arms around him.

 

“I’m so proud of you. You were so scared and you actually did it! That’s incredible, Del. Really. I’m so impressed.” One look at Eric’s flushed and joyous face made it all worth it for Dele and suddenly the view was just a bonus.

 

He blushed, abashed. “Couldn’t have done it without you, Eric.” He paused. _Am I going to say it? Fuck it, he deserves it._ “Thank you for forcing me to come here. I actually really did enjoy it.” He smiled up at Eric, whose lips started to wobble. “No, you’re not going to cry, Diet please don’t.”

 

Eric smiled. “No, not now. I’m just so happy with you that’s all.” The happiness that swelled him in Dele felt like it could explode him if he didn’t say anything.

 

“Nerd.” He said, wrapping his arms around Eric and looking at the view. He looked back at Eric who’s mouth was set in somewhat of a frown. _Ugghhhgg._ He leaned in, his nose ticking the side of Eric’s face. “I love you, Eric.” And he kissed him on the cheek. And yeah, Dele knew he would happily climb 50 more rickety fire towers or suffer 100 more losses knowing that he could cause the blush creeping into Eric’s cheeks and the small smile on the most beautiful face in the world.

**Author's Note:**

> \- comments are as usual very appreciated :)  
> \- also everyone should listen to 'such great heights' the song! any version, its v cute


End file.
